Monica Vitti

[CarMELita]

Monica Vitti

Monica Vitti (born 3 November 1931 in Rome) is an Italian actress noted for her frosty expressiveness and starring roles in films by Michelangelo Antonioni.

Training and early career

While a teenager she acted in amateur productions, then trained as an actor at Rome's National Academy of Dramatic Arts and at Pitman's, where she played a teen in a charity performance of Niccodemi's La memica. She toured Germany with an Italian acting troupe and her first stage appearance in Rome was for a production of Niccolò Machiavelli's La Mandragola. Vitti's first film role was in Ettore Scola's Ridere Ridere Ridere (1954). In 1957 she joined Michelangelo Antonioni's Teatro Nuovo di Milano, later playing a leading role in his award winning, existentialist landmark film L'avventura (1960) as a detached and cool protagonist drifting into a relationship with her best friend's lover. With a screen presence that has been described as "stunning", Vitti is also credited with helping Antonioni raise money for the production and sticking with him through its difficult location shooting. She later received critical praise for starring roles in other Antonioni films including La notte, L'eclisse, and Il deserto rosso. Her only Hollywood effort was the title role in Modesty Blaise, a mod James Bond spoof with Terence Stamp (1966) which was a critical and commercial disappointment and included a rather infamous musical number.

Later career

Vitti's later movie appearances have mostly been in Italian films without international distribution. Notable exceptions include Luis Buñuel's Fantôme de la liberté (1974). She starred with Barbara Bouchet in L'Anantra all'arancia a farcical sex comedy in 1975. In 1980 she was reunited with Antonioni after 15 years in his The Mystery of Oberwald. In 1989 she wrote, directed and starred in Scandalo segreto. Her image later appeared on an Italian postage stamp commemorating L'avventura. In 1993 Vitti was awarded the Festival Tribute at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival in France. She married Roberto Russo in 1995.

Filmography

Actress:

1. "Ma tu mi vuoi bene?" (1991) (mini) TV mini-series .... Anna Masetti

2. Scandalo segreto (1989)

... aka Secret Scandal (USA)

3. Francesca è mia (1986)

4. Flirt (1983) .... Laura

5. Scusa se è poco (1982) .... Renata Adorni/Grazia Siriani

6. Io so che tu sai che io so (1982) .... Livia Bonetti

... aka I Know That You Know That I Know

7. Mistero di Oberwald, Il (1981) .... The Queen

... aka Geheimnis von Oberwald, Das (West Germany)

... aka The Mystery of Oberwald

... aka The Oberwald Mystery

8. Camera d'albergo (1981) .... Flaminia

... aka Chambre d'hôtel (France)

9. Non ti conosco più amore (1980) .... Luisa

... aka I Don't Understand You Anymore (International: English title)

10. Tango della gelosia, Il (1980) .... Lucia

... aka Tango of Jealousy (USA: literal English title)

11. An Almost Perfect Affair (1979) .... Maria Barone

12. Amori miei (1979) .... Anna Lisa Bianchi

... aka My Loves

13. Letti selvaggi (1979) .... Maria/The Prostitute

... aka Camas calientes (Spain)

... aka Lady Chatterley's Palace (Philippines: English title)

... aka Tigers in Lipstick (USA)

... aka Wild Beds

14. Raison d'état, La (1978) .... Angela Ravelli

... aka Ragione di stato (Italy)

... aka State Reasons (International: English title)

15. Per vivere meglio, divertitevi con noi (1978)

16. Altra metà del cielo, L' (1977)

17. Mimì Bluette ... fiore del mio giardino (1977) .... Mimì Bluette

18. Basta che non si sappia in giro!... (1976) .... Armanda (segment "Macchina d'amore")/Lia (segment "L'equivoco")

19. Qui comincia l'avventura (1975) .... Miele

... aka Blonde in Black Leather (USA)

... aka Lucky Girls (UK)

20. A mezzanotte va la ronda del piacere (1975) .... Tina Candela

... aka Midnight Lovers

... aka Midnight Pleasures

... aka The Immortal Bachelor (USA)

21. Anatra all'arancia, L' (1975) .... Lisa Stefani

... aka Duck in Orange Sauce (USA)

22. Fantôme de la liberté, Le (1974) .... Mme Foucaud/Mrs. Foucauld

... aka Fantasma della libertà, Il (Italy)

... aka The Phantom of Liberty

... aka The Specter of Freedom

23. Polvere di stelle (1973) .... Dea Dani

... aka Stardust

24. Tosca, La (1973) .... Floria Tosca

25. Ordini sono ordini, Gli (1972) .... Giorgia

26. Teresa la ladra (1972) .... Teresa

... aka Teresa the Thief

27. Noi donne siamo fatte così (1971) .... Zoe/Annunziata/Teresa/Alberta/Katherine/Palmira/Agata/Laura

28. Supertestimone, La (1971)

29. Pacifista, La (1970) .... Barbara

... aka Smetti di piovere

... aka The Pacifist

30. Coppie, Le (1970) .... Adele (segment "Il frigorifero")/Giulia (segment "Il leone")

... aka The Couples

31. Ninì Tirabusciò: la donna che inventò la mossa (1970) .... Maria Sarti aka Ninì Tirabusciò

... aka Niní Tirabusció

... aka Nini Tirebouchon (France)

32. Dramma della gelosia - tutti i particolari in cronaca (1970) .... Adelaide

... aka Demonio de los celos, El (Spain)

... aka Drama of Jealousy

... aka Jealousy, Italian Style

... aka The Motive Was Jealousy

... aka The Pizza Triangle

33. Amore mio aiutami (1969) .... Raffaella Macchiavelli

... aka Help Me My Love (International: English title)

34. Femme écarlate, La (1969) .... Eva

... aka Donna scarlatta, La (Italy)

... aka The Bitch Wants Blood (USA)

... aka The Scarlet Lady (Europe: English title: dubbed version)

35. Cintura di castità, La (1968) .... Boccadoro

... aka On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... (USA)

... aka The Chastity Belt (UK)

36. Ragazza con la pistola, La (1968) .... Assunta Patane

... aka Girl with a Pistol

37. Fai in fretta ad uccidermi... ho freddo! (1967) .... Giovanna

... aka Kill Me Quick, I'm Cold (International: English title)

... aka Tue-moi vite, j'ai froid (France)

38. Ti ho sposato per allegria (1967) .... Giuliana

... aka I Married You for Fun

39. Modesty Blaise (1966) .... Modesty Blaise

40. Fate, Le (1966) .... Sabina (segment "Fata Sabina")

... aka Ogresses, Les (France)

... aka Sex Quartet (UK)

... aka The Queens (USA)

41. Bambole, Le (1965) .... Giovanna (segment "Minestra, La")

... aka Four Kinds of Love (UK)

... aka Poupées, Les (France)

... aka The Doll that Took the Town (USA: DVD box title)

... aka The Dolls (USA)

42. Disco volante, Il (1964) .... Dolores, the mayor's wife

... aka The Flying Saucer (USA)

43. Deserto rosso, Il (1964) .... Giuliana

... aka Désert rouge, Le (France)

... aka The Red Desert (UK)

44. Alta infedeltà (1964) .... Gloria (segment "La Sospirosa")

... aka Haute infidélité (France)

... aka High Infidelity (USA)

45. Dragées au poivre (1963) .... She

... aka Sweet and Sour (UK) (USA)

... aka Confetti al pepe (Italy)

... aka The Sweet and the Bitter

46. Follie d'estate (1963)

47. Château en Suède (1963) .... Eleanore Falsen

... aka Castello in Svezia, Il (Italy)

... aka Nutty, Naughty Chateau (USA)

48. Quatre vérités, Les (1962) .... Madeleine

... aka Cuatro verdades, Las (Spain)

... aka Quattro verità, Le (Italy)

... aka Three Fables of Love (USA)

49. Eclisse, L' (1962) .... Vittoria

... aka Éclipse, L' (France)

... aka Eclipse (USA)

... aka The Eclipse (UK)

50. Notti bianche, Le (1962) (TV)

51. Accattone (1961) (voice) (uncredited) .... Ascenza

... aka Accattone! (USA)

... aka The Procurer (UK)

... aka The Scrounger (USA: informal English title)

52. Notte, La (1961) .... Valentina Gherardini

... aka Nuit, La (France)

... aka The Night (UK)

53. Avventura, L' (1960) .... Claudia

... aka The Adventure (International: English title: literal title) (UK)

... aka The Fling (International: English title)

54. "Mont Oriol" (1958) (mini) TV mini-series

55. Dritte, Le (1958) .... Ofelia Granelli

56. Alfiere, L' (1956) (TV)

57. Questi ragazzi (1956) (TV)

58. Adriana Lecouvreur (1955)

59. Pelliccia di visone, Una (1954) (uncredited) .... Luisa Panetti

60. Ridere! Ridere! Ridere! (1954) (uncredited) .... Bit

Writer:

1. Scandalo segreto (1989) (writer)

... aka Secret Scandal (USA)

2. Francesca è mia (1986) (writer)

3. Flirt (1983) (writer)

Soundtrack:

1. Tango della gelosia, Il (1980) (performer: "Tango della gelosia")

... aka Tango of Jealousy (USA: literal English title)

2. Ninì Tirabusciò: la donna che inventò la mossa (1970) (performer: "Gratta gratta", "Monta sù")

... aka Niní Tirabusció

... aka Nini Tirebouchon (France)

Director:

1. Scandalo segreto (1989)

... aka Secret Scandal (USA)

Producer:

1. Francesca è mia (1986) (producer)

Trivia

Birth Name: Maria Luisa Ceciarelli

Spouse: Roberto Russo (1995 - present)

Festival tribute at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival, France. [1993]

Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1974

Lived with Roberto Russo for 27 years before marrying him.

Info: wikipedia.org, imdb.com

Pics: via google picture search

[Layla90]

Some time ago, there was an editorial with Anna J. starring as Monica.

When I have more free time, I will post it.

[Nicola Trunfio]

uuuuu yeeaah... monica's great! l'eclisse - one of my fav! and by the way i've downloaded "modesty blaise" of 1966 a week ago.. cool parody on james bond

[Guest lovely nana]

thanks carmelita for starting a thread for one of our italian pride

[CarMELita]

You're so welcome! She's great and gorgeous and everything!

sources: agentlee @ flickr & retrografix @ blogspot

[Korravai]

She is so freaking gorgeous! THANKS carMELita, for starting this thread!

the first cover is prob. not her...but I wasn't sure

[Korravai]

[Nefertiti]

amazing woman

[CarMELita]

Thanks for the pics, Antonia!

THe cover really might be her! - it's a great one anyway

[CarMELita]

sources: agentlee @ flickr & retrografix @ blogspot

[Korravai]

CIAO! MEL!

[srepac]

[srepac]

[CarMELita]

[Korravai]

thanks SRE~

[lisa-1]

thanks

[Twinkle]

Lovely!

[Korravai]

[srepac]

[CarMELita]

Thank you so much!